Are packing cubes worth it?

[Sneezyone]

I'm torn thinking these could be very useful for an upcoming, extended, multi-city trip but am not sure. Have you used them? Do you recommend any particular kind?

[pehp]

YES YES YES YES. I will never, ever go back.  We travel a fair amount, and have taken several multi-city trips, etc. as well, and....lifesavers.

Ours are color-coordinated (each family member has their own color).  I really don't think the brand matters as much as the concept; the ones we have are part mesh which I like. We bought an older version of these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0796RWT4T/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

[katilac]

I love packing cubes!

Any kind, my only purpose is keeping things neat and separated. Easy to see which categories have been packed, easy to get to everything once there. 

If my stuff has to stay in the suitcase, the packing cubes are extra important so things don't get into a scattered mess. If they go in drawers or on shelves, it's still neater, plus a degree of separation versus my clothes directly touching the drawer, etc. I'm not super picky about that, I'll put my shirts directly in the drawer, but I really like my underwear and meds having a layer of protection 😄

Mine are pretty cheap, because I don't travel that often, but I used to use ziploc bags before I had them. 

[MEmama]

2 minutes ago, katilac said:

I used to use ziploc bags before I had them. 

Same!

Packing cubes are awesome, for all the reasons. I'll never go back.

[Pawz4me]

We have some inexpensive ones from Target and Walmart. We use them mostly for keeping smaller things organized--socks, underwear, charging cables mostly. We don't find them all that useful for larger items.

[Tap]

Yes! They are so helpful! I use them in my suitcase, my clothing cupboard snd camper. 
 

In my regular closet, I use them to contain my extra swim gear, seasonal items like gloves etc, fragile sweaters, 

In the camper I separate by item. Unders, shorts, tshirts, socks, warms shirts, jeans/sweats. It makes getting ready and changing clothes so much easier!! Clothes get less wrinkled and I can just toss in the cupboard and go ( no suitcases to mess with). 

[prairiewindmomma]

It depends? I always did the tight roll of an outfit together method when traveling with a carryon. They weren’t needed then. 
 

We just did weeks in Europe traveling personal item only so we could fly the budget airlines without the luggage surchage, and we found them necessary and helpful. We bought a few different brands so we could compare compression levels, and were happiest with the Thule ones. I also really like the Thule softsided mini tech organizer. The bagsmart ones are inexpensive and lightweight, but the zipper tended to stick when running the compression zipper. I kept a finger under the zipper to minimize fabric grasping, but still had to backtrack the zipper a few times. The Eagle Creek packing cubes were our second favorite. They simply werent as strong in compression as the Thule ones.

[Danae]

I love them.  We also have them color coded by family member and then the cubes are distributed between luggage in the most efficient way for the trip.  So on a car trip with one or two overnights en route and a longer stay at the destination each person packs what they’ll need for the first night(s) in one cube and all four cubes go in one suitcase.  Then that’s the only bag we need to bring in and the rest of the suitcases stay in the car.  

[Kassia]

I like them.  I also use the nice plastic zippered bags that linens come in.  I have all different sizes from everything from pillowcases to comforters.  I use those for so many things.

[Bootsie]

I have a couple of compression ones that I use when I have bulkier items that I don't have to worry about wrinkling and need to pack in a small space (like winter socks).  I have other inexpensive lightweight ones that I use for a number of situations.  It helps contain things in a duffle-style bag.  I visit DD for an extended period in a small apartment and the packing cubes are my "drawers" while I am there.  They are good for putting a change of clothes in a backpack or combining similar items so that I don't have to rummage about.  When I first bought some, I thought many would be too small and went for larger sizes.  Now, I seldom use the larger ones--I find the small and medium ones are much more useful.

[DawnM]

I need some compression ones for our summer trip.   I have the others and use them some.

[PeterPan]

This video is fun and should convince you 😄 

We've done multiple 5-6 week trips now, carryon only, so we are super into our packing cubes. I have a fair number of sets, and I can tell you some are *heavier* than others. For my ds' weighted blanket, I use a rather heavy, good quality packing cube that allows it to fold up and slide into a small backpack with no drama. Ditto for things like my Bible, which is sort of bulky and has hard edges. Shoes I like the heavier fabric for.

However for everything else, I like the lighter, newer packing cubes. Maybe order several, try TJMaxx, etc. and compare till you see what makes sense for what you're packing. Thick fabric packing cubes can add a lot of bulk and WEIGHT for anyone being weighed for their carryons. 

Then there are COMPRESSION packing cubes. Swoon!!! So useful, oh my. Not shown in this video. I like them for anything that is low use, meaning you want to bring it but won't need it constantly and want it to disappear till you do. Feminine hygiene products are perfect in a compression cube. Jackets that you're taking just in case are perfect in a compression cube. The compression cubes also *smooth out* the space taken up by bulky items. On our last couple trips I packed our vitamins into daily bags in a compression cube because it would zip down and not take up much space. As we traveled and bought souveniers, they went into that cube. If you get to the end and need more storage, a compression cube can unzip and become a regular cube.

I've gotten our compression packing cubes at TJMaxx so definitely check there. If you can only buy one kind, that's what I would buy as they're the most versatile. 

As far as quantity? Um, I own several sets per person. I usually have at least one small cube in my personal item, sometimes a small and a large. In my carryon I think I had 2 medium or largish cubes and 2-3 smaller possibly compression cubes per person. What I actually did was to pack all the large cubes in one carryon (so 4 med/large, whatever fit in one carryon) and ALL the small packing/compression cubes in the other carryon. That way as we moved from place to place and packed up it was super easy, brainless. Bigs go in one, littles in the other, done. 

 

 

 

[PeterPan]

Btw, packing cubes let you unpack in a city so easy. The cubes come out, you use them, back in they go, always neat. There are some two-sided cubes so some people will use them for laundry. I *don't* store more laundry in a cube but instead have a travel laundry bag. I used to carry a large duffle but when we're going carryon only I have a small travel bag, sort of an overgrown pillowcase, that works well. I got it at tjmaxx too btw. I thought it would be cheesy but actually it's GREAT. And I find that I don't have a problem squishing it in and getting everything repacked as we move on to the next place. I *do* however fold the laundry. Yes, you read that right. Every single item I place in that laundry bag is folded.

[PeterPan]

I forget what they're called, but I also like the zippered mesh toiletries pouches. They hold all your iffy things like razors, clippers, pumice stone, bandaids, etc. and keep you tidy. They do add a bit of bulk but I like how easy they make it to function in the bathroom.

I also have used for years collapsible fabric organizers you can buy at Dollar Tree. I like them on the counter to catch odds and ends if you're going to be in one place long enough. Each person gets one organizer, so you always know where your water bottle is, your magic band for Disney, whatever.

[PeterPan]

It's also worth it to move over to silicone bottles for your liquids btw. I kept using the plastic kind from walmart for years but the silicone have turned out to be SO much nicer. No leaks, no broken caps, just work. I use fragrance free, so I take all the shampoo and conditioner I need for myself and have ds use the hotel products. This time I decanted aloe gel into a silicone container, which worked well also. 

[PeterPan]

Ok, total aside, but Target has a travel backpack that is more or less carryon (plenty big but workable for most) that has enough organization that some people wouldn't even need packing cubes on top of it. If your person is willing to carry a backpack and doesn't care about wheels, it can be the way to go.

https://www.target.com/p/45l-travel-backpack-open-story/-/A-88289713?preselect=86391360#lnk=sametab  This is the 45L.

[Corraleno]

I love packing cubes, and as others have said I will never go back to packing without them. I've done multiple 2-week, "carry-on only" trips to Europe with 2 kids, where we were changing hotels almost daily, and the cubes make it super easy to repack each day before leaving for the next city (just pop the packing cube "drawers" back in the suitcase "dresser"). Each person has a different color set of cubes, so they can be distributed in the most efficient way without getting things mixed up, and the compression allows you to pack a lot more in a small space.